Page 20 of Sparrow

“Thank you,” he mouthed before pulling the glass away from her and bringing it to his lips.

Could someone sip whiskey sexily? Was it possible? It shouldn’t be. As much as she wanted to fan herself, she couldn’t. So, she did the next best thing. “You got this?” She may have asked Kimber the question, but she had no intention of staying for the answer.

“No! Wait, I…” Kimber’s voice trailed off as Sparrow made her way out the door of the bar. Dick move. She knew it, but if the woman knew what the hell it was about, she’d understand. Anyone who had any inkling of what had gone on between Sparrow and Jacob would understand why she’d just fled the bar.

The cool Ohio air chilled her heated skin as she walked along the side of the cinderblock building, heading for the back parking lot. She just needed to walk to her car and to drive away from all of it. It was too real.

Her car.Fuck. She didn’t have her car.

As the realization hit, she turned, and her back pressed against the bricks. Closing her eyes, her head hit the wall. She needed to figure out a way to handle these little pop-ups.

“I’m going to have to buy you a new shirt.” The deep timbre of his voice heated her just as much as the memory of his touch did.

“Why are you here?” she demanded without looking. The accusation in her tone wasn’t on purpose, but it was too late now. It’d been said.

The heat of his body close to hers tickled her skin. She might as well have been set on fire at the feel of his hands on her face. Before she could stop herself, she nuzzled into his palm. He made her lose her fucking head with the slightest of touches.

“Do you mean Ohio or the bar?” he whispered in her ear when he brushed his bearded cheek against hers. It looked coarse, but his facial hair was impossibly soft. The feel of it had her face tingling as much as his breath along her neck.

She needed to stop him from touching her. She should push him away.

Pipes.

The club.

Two very good reasons to shove him off her. Weren’t they?

She didn’t because she wasn’t sure anymore.

Any attempt at speaking caught in her throat. She really should’ve stopped him when he tilted her chin upward, but she didn’t. She also shouldn’t have kissed him back when his lips brushed hers.

While she was tallying all the things she shouldn’t have done, more kept coming. Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him against her body was highest on the list. When his tongue slid against hers and he ground his hips against her, all care for the world left her awareness. All that mattered were his hands sliding down her sides, gripping her hips.

Moaning into his mouth, she tilted her head to deepen the already earth-shattering kiss. That was until he broke it and rested his forehead against hers.

“I need to be inside you, but I am not fucking you against a wall.” His throaty whisper quickened the beat of her heart to the point she could hear her pulse throbbing.

“The ground looks kind of gross,” she offered while looking past his shoulder.

Chuckling, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. The gesture caused her eyelids to droop reflexively from the sense of soothing feelings of content washing over her. How long had it been since she’d felt this comfortable?

Crouching slightly, so he was eye-level with her, he said, “I want you in my bed, but first I promised you something, and I’m a man of my word.”

Furrowing her brow, she missed the feel of his hands on her when he pulled away. Taking her hand, he backed up. She went with him, though her head screamed it was a bad idea. Everything about Jacob was a bad idea.

She couldn’t stop herself. It felt too good. It felt too right.

She halted in place at the sight of the fully restored 1990 Harley Davidson Fat Boy. She wished she could see it in daylight because the moonlight didn’t do it justice.

“You still have it,” she said in awe.

The pride was written all over his face when he slung his leg over the side and held a helmet out for her. “I do, and I promised you a ride.”

My bike’s running. She’s not pretty but she’s pretty loud. We’ll go for a ride when I get there.

Her breath hitched when he brought up his promise. She fought the urge to look up to the sky for shooting stars. Wishes expired. Didn’t they? Promises too? She swallowed hard.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” she whispered but the conviction wasn’t in her words.

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